


Estranged

by The_Phantom_Allies



Category: Persona 5
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:56:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25871722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Phantom_Allies/pseuds/The_Phantom_Allies
Summary: Akechi Goro makes an unexpected, late-night visit to LeBlanc.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	Estranged

Ping.

Akira rolled over, reluctantly opening his eyes. _Who in the hell is texting me at two in the morning?_ He unlocked his phone. _Thank God Futaba begged Morgana to stay the night at her place. He would have yelled at me already._ Maybe Morgana would have even slapped the phone. Akira smiled sleepily before looking at the text.

_Is this still Akira Ren’s phone number?_

The number wasn’t saved in his contacts. Akira sat up. Puzzled and shivering lightly he typed out a response.

_Yes it is. I’m sorry, I don’t have your number saved. Who is this?_

He yawned and rubbed at his eyes. _Why didn’t I mute my phone? Or better, I should have turned it off. No reason to have it on since there’s no school tomorrow._ He traced the power button idly then set his phone down. It was strange being here alone, haven gotten used to sleepovers with his friends and Morgana's steady breathing. 

The loneliness from the past ached his soul to no end. _You're not alone anymore though. You've created your own kind of family here. One that actually cares about your wellbeing._ Even faking his death had stressed the Thieves out. Their distressed faces when he returned from the interrogation wasn't something he could forget. And yet...on nights like this, he wished for more than just Morgana sleeping at the foot of the bed or his friends sleeping in the same room.

Ping.

Akira picked the phone back up. _It's me, Goro Akechi_.

His heart leaped into his throat. _Goro...Goro Akechi?!_ A thousand thoughts flooded his mind as he felt himself become more awake and alert. Goro Akechi was the exception to the Phantom Thief family. Akira was friends with him up until Akechi betrayed them. Their friendship became a tense, slippery slope afterward. Though they still chatted, hung out, and did Thief stuff together, a wall had been built between them. It might not have mattered to Akechi but it broke Akira's heart. More than it probably should have, because Akira had a crush on the detective.

Those feelings became complicated after what Akechi did. _Not that it matters,_ Akira told himself. _Goro Akechi and I would never have gotten together anyway._

His phone pinged again. He read the text and nearly lost his grip on the phone. _I will be near LeBlanc. May I come to see you?_ Akira reread the text to make sure he was reading it right. _Goro Akechi is alive...And he wants to see me._ A part of him scoffed at the idea of Akechi visiting. _He could try to kill you for real._ That was a legitimate concern, especially since he was alone and in the real world. _He might want to make amends._ The compassionate part of him said. That compassion was being driven by the crush that never went away. 

_Am I insane for this?_ Akira wondered as he gave Akechi permission to come over. His thumb hovered over the Phantom group chat. Should he give them a warning? What would he even say? _Hey Akechi is back and he's coming over to see me now._ God that would cause such a panic! And since most of the Thieves were sleeping right now, they'd be even more panicked to wake up to such a text. _N_ o, he told himself, _I will be just fine._ As a precaution though, he slid a baseball bat ( _thank god Ryuji forgot this here)_ under his bed. He didn’t want to hurt Akechi but...if Akechi was coming to kill him for real, Akira would at least have a weapon.

Minutes later, Akira was at the door. His fingers trembled as he unlocked the door. Was he nervous because of his crush or because of Akechi hurting him? Whatever the reason was was enough for him to struggle with the lock. When the lock finally opened with a click, Akira stepped back immediately. Standing in the doorway was Goro Akechi. Alive. _He looks cold._

"Hello," Akechi said awkwardly. Akira ushered him inside. He wasn't trying to but Akira found himself studying Akechi. _Is it just me or does he look different?_ His face seemed paler and there was real hesitation in those beautiful brown eyes. _Ngh don't start crushing on him NOW._

"Is-is it alright if we talk in my room?" Akira asked, forcing himself to focus on locking the door. It wouldn't do him any good to be emotional. Akechi nodded and followed Akira up the stairs. Heat flushed Akira's face when he realized that Akechi was staring at his back. _Maybe he's just as surprised as I am._

Once in his room, Akira immediately sat on his bed. Akechi was hesitantly looking around. _What is he thinking? Is he questioning why he's here?_

"You can sit anywhere," He hadn't meant to sound harsh. He cleared his throat as Akechi finally sat down on the floor across from him. "So uh...why are you here?"

Akechi let out a deep sigh.

"Truth be told, I'm wondering that myself. I was surprised you allowed me to come over…" Akechi acting nervous surprised Akira; even as "Darkechi" (as Futaba dubbed him when he wore the Black Mask) Akechi had always seemed to be sure of himself. This side of him felt...wrong.

"You disappeared on us." _Now isn't the time for accusations either._ Akira needed to calm down. "After everything that happened, we assumed the worst. Where did you go?"

Akechi seemed fascinated by the clutter under Akira's bed. He stared at it as he spoke.

"I was in a rehab."

It was such a simple statement. So why did Akira feel like he was punched?

"I learned a lot while I was there," The words were starting to sound rushed as if Akechi couldn't stand having them there in his mouth. "How to do normal household chores a teenager should do, for example. I also spoke with several experts about my mental and emotional health. There was a lot to shift through but-but that isn't important right now. I came here to apologize to you officially."

_Wait...what?!_ Akira rubbed his face, his mind spinning. _Goro Akechi wants to apologize. Goro Akechi isn't dead. Goro Akechi is in my room._ What the hell was Akira was supposed to do? What was he supposed to say?

“I know this is a lot to take in,” Akechi said. “But I believe that this will help you heal-.”

“Will you knock that off?” Akira asked, exasperated. Akechi’s eyes widened a fraction. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to. It’s _me._ You can drop the professional act.”

“I- uh…” Akechi was clearly startled. Akira smirked. _You can’t rehearse your feelings, Goro. None of us can._

“This isn’t some crime scene investigation and I’m not an adult. If you’re really here to apologize, at least be real.”

 _Be real._ That’s something Akira used to tell him when they would hang out. Akechi must remember that. Akira saw a flash of annoyance in Akechi’s eyes.

“I’m here to do more than that, Akira!” Akechi said sharply. Akira flinched when Akechi stood up quickly. _Shit._ Akechi froze, his gloved hands falling to his sides. “You’re...afraid of me?” Akechi asked, a frown tugging at his lips. Akira bit the inside of his cheek.

“It’s…” _What am I supposed to say?!_

He usually had time to slip into the confidence he displayed at school and in Mementos and Palaces. _But it’s like two-thirty in the morning. I didn’t have time to prepare myself for this._ Then there was the problem of Akira’s feelings with Goro Akechi. He crushed on the detective pretty hard, even after Akechi killed his cognitive self. 

_As smart as Akechi is, I’m not sure if he knows I have a crush on him._ In fact, Akechi had confided in Akira that he wasn’t very good at people flirting with him. _No, he didn’t say people. Just women. Mainly women flirted with him. If he didn’t know what to do with a woman flirting, he’d probably break if a guy flirted…not that it matters. I don’t think he’s interested in men anyway._

“Akira?” Akechi had taken a hesitant step towards Akira’s bed. Akira felt his heart jump back into his throat. _Shit shit shit what do I do what am I supposed to say-_

“I’m in love with you!” Akira blurted out. Akechi’s jaw dropped. _God damn it!_ An awkward tension hung thickly in the air. Akira ran a hand through his hair, trying not to fidget.

"You're- uh- w-what?" Akechi stammered. Akira's cheeks were on fire.

"Well I always imagined this to go smoother in my head," Akira muttered. Then he said, "I-I'm in love with you, Goro Akechi. The Detective Prince. Crow. Black Mask. Whatever you want to call yourself." _Great, now I’m rambling!_ “Ngh...I mean-...I think I’ll shut up now…” Akira grabbed his pillow and buried his face in it. _If he wants to kill me now I think I might let him._ The bed sunk as Akechi sat next to him.

“Akira,” Akechi said, his voice soft. Akira felt Akechi’s hand on his back. _Relax_ , Akira told himself. _Honestly, if he were to kill me, he would have done it by now._ A shiver shot through his soul as Akechi gently removed the pillow from Akira’s face. “I should have thought this out better. But, ah, I came to a realization during a session and had to come over here to talk to you.”

Akira’s eyes widened as Akechi took his free hand and cupped Akira’s chin.

“What...what are you…”

Akechi’s lips met Akira’s. Akira’s heart shuddered with joy as Akira started to kiss him back. _Oh my god, Goro Akechi and I are kissing. His lips are so soft and warm…_ Akechi broke their kiss, a shy smile lighting up his face.

“I’m in love with you, Akira Ren.” Akechi tentatively placed his hands on Akira’s arm. “And I know that doesn’t seem probable, after everything that I’ve done...but it’s how I truly feel. I’m so sorry. For everything.”

A million thoughts were fighting in his mind. _I shouldn’t trust him. I want to keep kissing him. I want more than kissing. What are the Thieves going to say if Akechi and I start dating? Akechi is still famous, will our relationship be impacted by that?_

“Akechi…” His mouth and brain weren’t in sync.

“Emotions are stupid and complicated,” Akechi said. Maybe he was saying it more to himself than Akira but Akira took his chance.

“They are. But that’s what makes us human, right?”

Akechi paused. Then he chuckled.

“You’ve always managed to make me think, Akira. Make me consider other options.” Akira smirked as he pulled Akechi in for a kiss. Akechi wrapped his arms around Akira as they kissed. _Just one night, I want to relax._ Before they could go further, though, Akira broke the kiss reluctantly. His brain wouldn’t shut up with questions so he decided to ask at least one.

“You know it’s,” Akira glanced at his phone. “Three-thirty in the morning. Shouldn’t you…” He didn’t want to kick Akechi out but LeBlanc still belonged to Sojiro. “How did you get here anyway? The subways aren’t running and I know you don’t have your own car.”

Akechi inhaled sharply. Akira recognized his facial expression and laughed. The detective glared. Akira saw a glint of embarrassed mischief in his eyes.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t plan this out,” Akira said, still laughing. “The great Detective Prince acted impulsively on feeling and is now stranded at a coffee shop with a phantom thief.”

“A phantom thief who stole my heart.” Akechi said in a soft tone. Akira felt his face grow hot. _He literally just admitted to being in love with me, even kissed me, and I’m still blushing._ “You look adorable when you blush."

"Answer the question. Detective." That came out more playful than he was intending. Akechi scoffed but was smiling.

"I had my therapist drop me off. And...uh, I was hoping to stay here tonight…”

The questions and uncertainty shut off. Akira opened his mouth, then closed it. _Goro Akechi wants to spend a night here. At LeBlanc. With me._ It occurred to Akira that Akechi _had_ to have known about Akira’s feelings; he had taken a risk to come to LeBlanc so late without the subways running. _I...I guess I should have realized he had feelings for me too…_

“I’ll have to sneak you out if you do stay,” The absolute last thing Akira needed right now would be a lecture from Sojiro. _And god forbid he give me a talk about sex!_ Sojiro had given him such a talk already but it would still be embarrassing for Sojiro to catch Akira with his boyfriend. Akechi seemed to be in agreement; Akira saw him nod. “And..there is so much we have to figure out…” _The Thieves, the media, ourselves…_

“I know.” Akechi yawned. Akira smirked. “What is that expression for, Akira-?”

Akechi’s words were cut off as Akira pulled Akechi onto the bed.

“A-Akira!” Akechi was laughing. Akira gave him a sleepy smile. “Fine but I’m not sleeping on top of you.” Akechi shifted until he was lying next to Akira. Akira rested his head on Akechi’s chest. “Good night.” They shared a kiss before drifting off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first time I've written fanfiction in like six years so excuse me if it's a little rough around the edges. I may or may not add a second part.  
> I also don't know how to end fanfics so sorry if that ending feels awkward, it's a work in progress. Formatting is hard too, bear with me lol


End file.
